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Hey y’all! I’m always looking for new reading material so… I was wondering what your favorites were???
Mine are “Won by the Sword” and “When London Burned” by G.A. Henty, “Sackett’s Land” and “To the Far Blue Mountains” by Louis L’Amour, along with most of the rest of the Sackett series, and I have several others (well, let me rephrase, dozens of others) that are my favorites but here are a few I’ve been re-reading recently:D. Now it’s your turn! Go! 😀Oh gracious, I’ve so many favorites it would take FOR-EV-ER to list them all… 😉 but I’ll give you a few. First of all, The Lord of the Rings (everyone knows who wrote that, right;)?).
I also really like ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, by Dickens, even though it’s really sad. I actually like all the Dickens I’ve read, which isn’t nearly enough, believe me :).
Um… let’s see. Several different series by modern authors, three of which are the ‘Crown and Covenant’, the ‘Faith and Freedom’ series (both by Douglas Bond) and one probably less well known, by John J. Horn called ‘Men of Grit’.
I’ve read a few of the Sackett books (read, one, which is all we have :)) and a lot more Louis L’amour, and ‘When London Burned’, though I have to say I’m a little burned out on Henty.Oh my! How could I forget “The Lord of the Rings!” Definitely another favorite on my end as well:D. I’ve heard a lot of great things said about “A Tale of Two Cities”, I’m hoping to read that sometime soon😃. Hmm… I haven’t heard of any of those series’ but they sound cool! Louis L’Amour is definitely one of my family’s favorite authors, we listen to his work almost every time we go on a vacation, and his later works are much better than his earlier, but the first two Sackett books are definitely my favorites of his. :D. Yeah, I have to have some good breaks between Henty, but there are about three of his that I really enjoy reading and re-reading, and a couple that are fair re-reads. “For the Temple” is really good if you want to learn more about the time of the fall of Jerusalem. They do take a LONG time to read though. Definitely see how you could get burned out:). Which of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy did you enjoy most (if you can pick…😉) I probably enjoyed “The Two Towers” best.
Hi all! Oooo! I love Lord of the Rings, too! 🙂 And the Chronicles of Narnia!! Favorite from LotR is definitely Return of the King. All of the strings are tied up and the story comes to its grand finale in it. 😀
As far as picking favorite books goes– it was tortuous to choose just one until last year when I read “This Present Darkness” by Frank Peretti, and I fell in love! It has all kinds of awesomeness packed into one book from spiritual warfare to moral issues. Another of my favorites is “The Prophet” also by Frank Peretti, and I just read that one last week.
"When enemies attack your kingdom you don't flee you show them why it's your kingdom. With your lightsaber."
Hey Sarah!
I definitely see your point with liking Return of the King. 😀 I definitely understand the torture of picking a favorite book! When it comes down to it I think whatever I’m reading at the time is my favorite most of the time! 😉 I’ve never heard of the books or the author, actually! Second time in two days, what is the world coming to??? lol. They sound interesting :).Ouch… you had to pick the ‘which book was your favorite’ question. Well, I knew it would come. *sigh*
Ummmm… probably the Fellowship of the Ring. I probably couldn’t tell you why if you asked— but overall, I liked being introduced to the different characters in so many different ways, and of course the heartwrenching scene when Gandalf falls into the abyss. Aragorn is best in that book too, in my opinion. He sort of got lost in the Return of the King, which to my thinking was a little odd, since the whole book was about him. But I haven’t read those books in way too long— maybe my opinion would change if I did. Who is your favorite character from LOTR? Mine is Samwise Gamgee, beyond a shadow of a doubt.
I have heard of both those Frank Peretti books, Sarah, but I haven’t read either of them. The only books of his I ever read were the ‘Cooper Kids Adventure’ series, which I remember liking, but not just wow, knock your socks off.
I value Henty for the rich historical insight and information, but my opinion of him as an author is not as high as it might be. But then… I’m picky. 😉Kate, I’m sorry… I actually dislike the question myself (although I’ve asked it twice…) So I am sorry.
Oh definitely! It’s so hard to choose, but, as each of the three are well-represented here, I believe that we can all agree that Tolkien did a good job at them! Hmmm… Favorite Character??? That’s worse than the favorite book question! Hmmm… I believe my favorite was Merry and Pippin. I know that they are two… but as you almost never hear of one without the other, they shall be as one here. I like Samwise too, but I like Merry and Pippin a tinge more :).
Henty’s books are very good on the historical information and such, but there are definitely ways he could improve his writing. Really, once you’ve read one of his books, you’ve practically read them all if you just re-name the characters and put them in a different time setting. I do notice other flaws as I go through the books, but all-in-all I think it is the length that I like the most. I read fairly fast, and so I prefer longer books because it allows me to really be soaked into the world and the characters lives and such, and it takes me more than two hours to read. So, when all is told, I see your point, and I believe the fact is that Henty did not do all that he could have with his stories, and I probably won’t be reading any (after I finish the one that I’m on) for another six months or a year or so, when all of them will have blended together. The one that I think he did the best on would be “The Cat of Bubastes” which I would have put into my favorites if I had thought about it. He actually changed the scenery from England and France for one of the few times, and he gave his characters some weaknesses. (while his main characters still didn’t have very many, I thought it was better… others may have gotten the opposite feeling) I’m sorry if you don’t agree, but that is my view.
I definitely understand being picky about books, but I believe that there are different things that different people want out of books.
Have you, by any chance read Lois Walfrid Johnson’s “Viking Quest” series? I’m in the process of re-reading it (for about the fifth time…) and heartily enjoy them, definitely some more favorites… My favorites list is rather long.. I’m pretty sure in just about every book I’ve read I’ve decided at one point that it was my favorite… 😀I know, it’s practically impossible to read books and discuss them with others without asking the ‘favorite’ questions. I perfectly understand that.
I like Merry and Pippen a great deal as well— and you’re right. They do go so much together that they are almost incomplete when they’re separate. I think the reason I chose Samwise above them is because, though all Hobbits have this in some sense, Sam is really so very simple. He has simple tastes, noble but commonplace ambitions, and a good, sturdy Hobbit sense that somehow seems lacking in Merry and Pippen (and this even though I consider it one of their charms, because it makes them unpredictable and delightfully spontaneous). You just can’t cling to Merry and Pippen for the same rock solid support you can to Sam. And even though he was so sturdy and stolid and low in his own opinion (or his gaffer’s opinion, which sometimes I think he valued more), he accomplished such great things that no one else, none of the ‘great folk’, could have. So that’s why I like Sam.
I so totally know exactly what you mean about Henty! I myself have said almost that exact same thing too many times to count. I have not read ‘The Cat of Bubastes’, but I’ve heard of it. One of my favorite Henty books is actually St. George for England… I think. Some of the names are so similar. The hero in that one (if it is the one I’m thinking of) was a little quieter, a little more subdued, and less of a ‘great perfect hero figure’. Not that he wasn’t perfect in every respect… but he was different than the others, and that was a great relief even if I couldn’t relate to him.
I have actually read ‘The Viking Quest’, and I did like them a great deal. I can see why they would be considered your favorites… or one of your favorites. In my opinion— which you are in no way called upon to agree with ;)— the books could have done a better job of representing the culture and flavor of the world at that time, but I loved the story. In fact, reading those books inspired me to begin writing more seriously… though it was a ridiculously long time before I even completed a book I then considered ‘real’. Now I think that same book a piece of absolute junk, but hey! I had to start somewhere.
My favorites list is also impossibly long… but one important one I forgot to mention was Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South. Have you read it?🙂
I do see your point with Sam :). Tolkien did a very good job with character development there.
They are! 😀 I haven’t read “St. George for England” but it sounds like it would be one to look into next go-around with Henty.
While not called upon to do so ;), I DO agree that they could have represented the culture and world at the time better. The Viking Quest series have been some of my favorites for… well I think I started reading them about five years ago, not really sure. My older brother had left it lying out… :D.
hee-hee! I definitely understand considering your first works junk! I came across some of my first work a while ago and I was just like. Wow. I was a mean author even back then! 😀
I have not read “North and South”, is it more of a Jane Austen type?Ummm… actually, North and South is more of a Dickens type than an Austen type. It is similar to Austen in that the main plot is a love story, but that is pretty much where the similarities end. I don’t know if you’ve read much Austen, but she tends to just dump off all the information of what happened on you and leave you to your own devices as to how you wish to interpret it. Also, you may have noticed that most of her works are pretty much her own opinion and satire on a story, with not as much focus on the story itself. Don’t get me wrong— I love her stories. But Gaskell, in my opinion, is a better author all around. She’s more into live action scenes and dialogue, and there is no comparison between her skill with characterization and Austen’s. And also, speaking generally, the greatest hardship any Austen heroine ever had to face was an unrequited love or the nuisance of an unwanted suitor, whereas Gaskell’s characters all have real, material hardships and very relational, human ways of viewing them and surmounting them.
North and South is a really deep book— intellectually stimulating and intricate in its logic. It has a lot of underlying social themes in it as well, as relevant today as when the novel was written. The novel is also one of the better Christian stories I have come across, where the Christianity and faith of the characters actually was well done and did not seem fake or too awkward. If you can find time to read it, and like books that make you think, I would definitely recommend it.
My apologies— you did not ask for a book report. 🙂
And I keep remembering favorites I can’t believe I missed. One I definitely love is Gene Stratton-Porter’s ‘Freckles’. It has a little bad language in it, but it’s such a beautiful story. Have you read it?Ok! I have not read any Dickens though I am planning to eventually. Yes! While the only of Austen’s works I’ve read is Pride and Prejudice I have been planning (for about three years now…) to read some of her other works, but I do see the point with the information dump. Wow! You are DEFINITELY making me want to read “North and South”! No apologies needed! I sincerely enjoyed this book report!
Oh “Freckles”! I read quite a few of Gene Stratton-Porter’s works and “Freckles” was definitely my favorite!All right, I can’t resist anymore. My top three favorite books are (in order):
1. The Count Of Monte Cristo. I love this book for its vivid characters, high suspense, how no sentence, character, or description is wasted, how it deals with deep issues, and absolutely everything in-between. I seriously can’t describe how good this book is. The author was very messed up though. He also wrote The Three Musketeers which I found sickening.
2. A tale of two cities. Wonderful for its drama, descriptive realness, unforgettable characters, and the absolute best ending of any book I have ever read. Special message to Hannah Lowe, “Read this book!”
3. Ben-Hur. This book is suspenseful, descriptive, dramatic, and gives the reader a deep impression of what it was like for a jew to experience the coming of Christ. Interesting fact, the author was actually converted by writing the book.There are plenty of honorable mentions I could list. Here are some of the best. Robinson Crusoe, Les Miserable, Animal Farm, Crushed yet Conquering and The Spanish Brothers by Deborah Alcock, The robbers cave, and I have to admit, The Scarlet Letter ( it isn’t exactly a good book, actually it’s kind of demonic, but it is fantastic from a literary standpoint and I love the ending).
I’m done with Henty personally, but if you want to read a book by him that is positively enthralling for its historical content, read By Right of Conquest.
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Yes, please! Don’t stand on the sidelines and keep quiet just because you didn’t start this topic. We need everybody in here— the more opinions and voices and different suggestions, the better!
I’ve actually never read ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’, but I definitely want to. It should last me longer than most books, which in itself is a plus, since I read really quickly, and then the experience is not as long lived in its pleasure.
I have, however, read Ben Hur, and I loved it. One thing I think Lew Wallace did especially well was the representation of the Roman culture without a ton of the terrible, sickening facts about the Roman Empire thrown in where they were not needed. I was fully impressed with the depravity of the pleasure loving Romans without having to be confronted with all their horrors and sins, and I got such a sense of the dynamic color of the culture as well. I’m really big on dynamic cultures. 🙂
If I may ask the dreaded question, Daeus, who was your favorite character from ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, and why? I could probably guess, but I’d prefer a straight answer. 🙂
My personal favorite is Sydney Carton, hands down. It’s not even a contest between him and every other wonderful character, which is actually surprising, considering I despised and pitied him at the beginning of the book. I agree— the ending is absolutely fantastic. If I am ever able to do an ending that makes people weep like I did when I finished that book, I will consider myself well on the way to actually becoming the author I am working towards. One word of caution to those considering reading this fantastic book— if you are afraid of breaking down and being emotional in front of your family, make sure you finish it alone, because you will cry.
I have only read a very abridged version of ‘The Three Musketeers’, but I formed a very decided opinion on it nevertheless, and personally, I’m not really interested in reading the full version. Maybe it was true to the time and the true spirit of musketeers, but I hated it. I hated especially how easily the ‘good guys’ went from one love to another, one beauty to the next. You have to wonder how deep their love really was, or even if it was there at all. And you cannot help but wish they were a little more faithful.
Henty… definitely has his weak spots, doesn’t he? But a great many of his books really are incredibly rich with history. I have read ‘By Right of Conquest’— in fact I think it was one of the better ones he wrote.Hi Kate,
Definitely stay clear of the three musketeers. If you hate it, I utterly despise it (no offense to anyone who might happen to like it.) It is still surprising to me that The same author wrote my all time favorite book. I don’t pretend to understand it. Even if you are a fast reader, getting through The Count of Monte Cristo will probably take you several months, but I’d say go for it. You will be glad you did.
I honestly didn’t remember the descriptions of Roman culture from Ben-Hur, but now that you mention it, I do recall him delving into that and thinking the same thing: that it really added to the story.
I find it hard to chose a favorite character from A Tale of Two Cities. This is probably because I haven’t read it in over a year, and so have forgotten most of it. It is also because all the characters were so well defined and priceless. If Sydney Carton is the drunkard guy who took the place of what’s his name who was engaged to what’s her name (or where the married?), then I do believe that he was my favorite. Anyways, he is the center of the climax scene which I love so much.
It is also my personal goal to be able to write a scene like Dickens did in the end there. That is a very lofty goal of course, but that means it is a good goal. I’ll race you there!
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Yes, that’s Sydney. The first ‘what’s his name’ you mentioned would be Charles Darnay (Evremonde), who was married to the doctor’s daughter, Lucie Manette… if I spelled that correctly.
Thanks for the word of advice on the Three Musketeers. I’ll remember that, you may be sure.
Yes, I tend to set lofty goals for myself, whether from a surplus of confidence or a terrible, tormenting surety that if I never set goals, I’ll never reach them, I don’t know. 🙂
And I’ll look forward to seeing you at the finish line!
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